Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Dating Site Lets You Propose Cool Dates, Rather Than Pore Over Pics

This post is part of Mashable?s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark.. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details

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The Fingerist makes your iPhone a mini guitar

The FingeristIf you have been looking for an iPhone or iPod touch accessory that enables you to play your music applications as if you are playing them with a guitar, look no further. The Fingerist from EVENNO is here to make your dream of being a (nerdy) rock star come true. One part guitar body and one part speaker, The Fingerist holds your iPhone 4, iPhone 3G/3GS, or iPod touch 2G/3G in place for you (with the included strap) like a guitar hung around your neck, making it easier to use those music apps you love so much to make some sweet sounds. Apps like Guitar World Lick of the Day (which teaches you a new guitar move every day) or even the new GarageBand let you make music, and The Fingerist lets you play it loudly.

While the built-in speaker runs for 6 hours on 3 AA batteries, The Fingerist comes with a line-out jack to send your songs to your amplifier so you can share with your entire neighborhood. Info on where you can purchase one isn't found on the EVENNO site, but Engadget spotted it for sale over at Amazon for $150.

$150 seems a bit steep for my taste when you can get a cheap used guitar and amp for that price, along with maybe a lesson or two. As a guitar player myself, I say go for the real thing. That said, I can see the appeal of bringing this out when the family gets together over the holidays for some rockin' jam sessions.

[via Engadget and iLounge]

The Fingerist makes your iPhone a mini guitar originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Facebook Co-Founder Launches Social Network for Social Good, Jumo [IMAGE]

Today, users can start connecting with all their favorite social causes in one online sphere, as Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes has launched his much-buzzed-about social network, Jumo.

Hughes, who left Facebook in 2007 to become the Obama campaign’s director of…

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Curious NASA Pre-Announcement

CrtxReavr was one of a small avalanche of readers to let us know about a press conference NASA scheduled for Thursday at 2pm to discuss an "astrobiology finding that will impact the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life." I've heard rumors ranging from "proof of life on Titan" to "first contact," depending on how optimistic/crazy you are.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




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Jailbreak iOS 4.2.1 with redsn0w

Now that you've finished installing the shiny, new iOS 4.2.1 update on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch it's time to jailbreak that bad boy -- assuming you're in to that sort of thing. The DevTeam is on the ball, and there's already a compatible redsn0w jailbreak available for you to run on your Windows or Mac system. As always, jailbreak at your own risk -- you could brick your device, and nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.

If you're looking for the downloads, you'll find them here:
[via Redmond Pie]

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Jailbreak iOS 4.2.1 with redsn0w originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 09:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kinectimals ? review

Xbox Kinect/Xbox 360; �39.99-�44.99; cert 3+; Frontier/Microsoft

We all dream of one day forming an emotional bond with another sentient being and finding respite from the terrible isolation of existence. With Kinectimals, you get to do just that ? and your new buddy can never die or leave you. It's perfect.

Of course, the real target market for this game isn't sad-sack adults but wide-eyed children, something that's made clear by the Cbeebies-style presentation of the Kinectimal world. Set on the island of Lemuria, a shimmering paradise of fluttering leaves and wide blue skies, you're welcomed by a weird feline bee-fairy called Bumble and taken to choose your big cat cub.

Whether you go for lion, cheetah, tiger or one of the other curiously placid predatory mammals, your pet will be undeniably cute, and so fluffy that it's almost a disappointment when you reach out to stroke them and can't feel their pelts. "We're so excited to meet you," says Bumble. "The cubs haven't had anyone to play with since the captain left." (It sounds less ominous than it looks written down.)

Actually, the whole thing is almost too adorable. It doesn't try to charm you into a relationship, it just embraces you full on and licks you in the face. Your cat turns out to be rather characterless, and the playing and petting a bit empty. Kinect is impressive here, almost eerily so as it matches your actions to the cub and has it copy you. ("Jump!" "Spin!" "Play dead!" it demands, almost as though it's the one in charge and not you.)

But after a while, there's no getting away from the fact that wafting your empty hands around feels a lot like miming: when you're supposed to be throwing a ball or using a brush, Kinect's controller-free motion control is less satisfying than Move or even Wii.

Often, your cat will scarper and leave you playing pretend skittles on your own as you faff about trying to win the points that will unlock new areas of the map and let you buy gifts for your soulless cub. It's self-defeating, because the more Kinectimals tries to be game-like, the less it lets you actually play: EyePet is much simpler and a lot more successful, because it's always focused on the actual pet, leaving you with the choice of how to interact. Kinectimals feels frequently like a clumsy mini-game compendium with a tiger wandering through every few minutes.

There's more mileage in a Tamagotchi, and one of them would never ask you to shame yourself by acting out "play dead" on the living room floor.

? Game reviewed on Xbox 360

Rating: 2/5


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Blog Post: Guest Post: Joe ?The Commish? Cahn shares his favorite Thanksgiving recipes

Of Tryptophan and Football

By Joe “The Commish” Cahn

You know the drill: eat Thanksgiving Dinner, get in front of TV to watch the games and then it’s off to dreamland.

You might doze off in front of the Patriots/Lions game, wake up in the middle of the Saints/Cowboys tilt, nod off again and then finish it by catching what you can of the Bengals/Jets triple-header finale.

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Everyone blames the tryptophan in the turkey.

You hear people announce this self-fulfilling prophecy -- that the bird is what causes us to get in to that deep, REM, snore-worthy state of sleepy bliss.

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but it might not just be the turkey. Sure, turkey has high levels of tryptophan and it does contribute to the “sleepies.” But, it also has to do with the carbohydrates that you consume during the meal.

Yep, those rolls, potatoes, stuffing -- anything that has carbs in it -- are the culprits that trigger that tired feeling.

But, let’s be honest -- maybe we should just keep this between us.

Because one of the great traditions of Thanksgiving is (usually) that uncle who rolls in for dinner and says something like, “alright, that recliner over there is mine. Once I eat turkey and get in front of that TV, it’s all over.”

If that uncle (or anyone) is a real football fan and tailgater, they will make it through the third game eating a turkey sandwich with tons of mayo. If the game ends up going in to overtime, then it’s a leftover wing or leg on top of it all.

Speaking of turkey, and since I have some experience here, I’d like to share a couple of recipes that you might want to try this week.

The first is a classic -- deep-fried turkey -- from Sandy, a tailgater from Colorado Springs, Colorado. If you’ve never tried it before, you are in for a real treat. Plus, it cooks much faster than the old roasting technique. If you have a 15-pound bird, for example, it will take less than an hour.

“Creole Seasoning:
13 oz salt
1 1/2 oz ground black pepper
2 oz ground red pepper
1 oz garlic powder
1 oz chili powder
1 oz accent”

OR you can use Cajun Power Garlic Sauce

 

Depending on how much seasoning you want injected into the turkey depends on how much to dilute. We like alot of spices...so we will dilute about half of this mixture to a consistancy that will flow thru an injection needle. Then just inject the turkey to your heart's content!

When frying the turkey at a game you sure get a lot of spectators wondering what in the world you are doing and a lot of people just coming to see what the wonderful smell is. In any event you meet alot of different people...such as The Commissioner of Tailgating...wondering what you are doing!

Hints:

  • Use a thawed turkey not to exceed 18 lbs.
  • Inject turkey with Creole Seasoning (diluted with water)
  • Fill turkey fryer with vegetable oil (make sure it will not overflow when turkey is put in)
  • Heat oil to 350 degrees
  • Cook for 3 minutes per pound plus 5 minutes more.

And, since we’re in the Thanksgiving mood, here is a Cranberry Compote recipe from Mary Whitesell, the team cook for Jeff Gordon’s #24 Dupont Team and (yes, I know it’s not football -- but this recipe is GREAT and Mary is a master).

“1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 orange - zest and use juice
½ cup raisins
¼ cup chopped dry apricots
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. cloves
¼ tsp. nutmeg
Plumb raisins and apricots in orange juice. Add spices and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Allow to cool. Add to cranberry sauce. Add orange zest and mix together. Cool in refrigerator for 30 minutes.”

All I know is that there isn’t a better feeling that being relaxed, enjoying the sport we all love so much. Speaking of which, I will be headed to Detroit for another special Thanksgiving with some great Lions fans and friends.

Here’s what that celebration is going to look like:

  • 6 turkeys
  • 20 side dishes
  • All of the other trimmings
  • And a hot tub soak, in the parking lot, before the game

That’s going to be a good time and some top-notch relaxation.

And for that, I am very thankful.

So, Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I hope you try the recipes -- get some good naps in on Thursday -- and have a great time.

And, as always, I’ll see you down the road.

ATandT AUTODESK

The Founder Institute Publishes Blacklist Of ?Unsavory Characters?

The Founder Institute, a very early stage startup accelerator and entrepreneur training program, was launched in 2009 by Adeo Ressi. The company now has programs in a variety of cities in the U.S. and around the world - ten cities at the last count. That's a lot of startups flowing through the program, and Ressi often gives advice to young companies even after the program is over. One thing he doesn't like are people and companies that do things that add friction to the already difficult task of building a company (or otherwise piss him off). And he usually doesn't waste a lot of time before jumping right in and slamming anyone he thinks is guilty of being an "unsavory character." Today, for example, he began publishing a blacklist of these companies, available only to people who've gone through the program. First on the list is a law firm, Gunderson Dettmer, that often represents venture capitalists and startups. Over-lawyering by the first apparently caused one venture deal to fall apart.

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Killer Deal: O'Reilly offers 60% discount on entire e-book catalog, today only

oreilly

Here's one you really don't want to miss: O'Reilly is offering their entire e-book and video catalog for 60% off!

This is a Cyber Monday sort of deal, so it's today only (Nov 29). If you've ever considered learning a programming language, honing your VIM skills or anything like that, now would be a great time to snatch a book about it. I don't know if their videos are up to par with Lynda.com, but their books are fantastic.

Killer Deal: O'Reilly offers 60% discount on entire e-book catalog, today only originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 04:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Motorola Backflip, Cliq get multitouch support

Motorola Backflip gains Multitouch

Must be rooted: One of the coolest things about Android is the development community it fosters.  These developers bring features and software upgrade to devices long after carriers and manufacturers write them off as out dated.  One of the newest upgrades froms from  J_r0dd who worked multitouch support into his latest Roms for the Backflip and Cliq. It's great seeing even these "entry-level" devices get the updated software like their newer cousins. [via ModMyMobile]Thanks Rohit R!

Motorola Backflip, Cliq get multitouch support posted originally by Android Central

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Zuckerberg Interviews Former President George W. Bush At Facebook HQ [Video]

Looks like President Obama isn't the only one resorting to Facebook as a way to reach constituents. In a first for an American President past or present, former President George W. Bush will hold a discussion and Q&A live from Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto in about 20 minutes.

Bush will be talking to Facebook employees about his new book�Decision Points, and those of us not employed by Facebook will have the opportunity to watch it on the Livestream above.�

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Monday, November 29, 2010

Compiling the WikiLeaks Fallout

Now that the world has had some time to process the quarter million diplomatic documents published by WikiLeaks on Sunday, the media landscape is rife with reactions, threats, and warnings. Some US lawmakers have complained loudly and at length, saying that "WikiLeaks is putting at risk the lives and the freedom of countless Americans and non-Americans around the world." Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the leak "not just an attack on America's foreign policy interests, it is an attack on the international community." The Guardian points out that it's not the media's job to protect diplomats from embarrassment, and other US officials seem to agree, focusing their wrath instead on the security practices surrounding sensitive information. The Pentagon and other agencies are looking at ways to tighten security, promising increased internal auditing and banning the ability of systems containing classified information to connect to thumb drives or other removable media. Meanwhile, few officials seem to be commenting publicly on the contents of the leak, which are sure to cause diplomatic problems around the globe.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.




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CHART OF THE DAY: How Long Before PayPal Is Generating More Revenue Than eBay? (EBAY)

PayPal will become eBay's dominant business in the next four years, says the New York Times today in an article looking at PayPal's mobile business future.

As you can see below, eBay's payment business, which is largely made up of PayPal has more than doubled in the last four years, while eBay's Marketplaces is growing much slower.

chart of the day, ebay revenue by segment

Follow the Chart Of The Day on Twitter: @chartoftheday

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